Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Delightful Yovictoria’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Delightful Yovictoria’, characterized by its compact, upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets; orange bronze-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering in mid to late September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Delightful Yovictoria’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially known as garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Delightful Yovictoria’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yovictoria, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,799. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the cultivar Yovictoria in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in April, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since June, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Delightful Yovictoria has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Delightful Yovictoria’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Delightful Yovictoria’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant         habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped         ray florets.     -   5. Orange bronze-colored ray florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering in mid to late September in the         Northern Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent, the cultivar Yovictoria, primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Yovictoria had lavender-colored ray florets. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter than plants of the cultivar Yovictoria.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Warm Megan, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,126. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Warm Megan in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller and more rounded         and mounding than plants of the cultivar Warm Megan.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Warm Megan.     -   3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum had fewer         disc florets than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Warm         Megan.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Gedi Two Omol, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,382. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Gedi Two Omol in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of         the cultivar Gedi Two Omol.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three days         earlier than plants of the cultivar Gedi Two Omol when grown         under natural season conditions.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more         orange and retained color better than ray florets of plants of         the cultivar Gedi Two Omol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Delightful Yovictoria’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Delightful Yovictoria’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Leamington, Ontario, Canada during the late summer and early fall in an outdoor nursery under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden-type Chrysanthemum production. One cutting was planted in a 15.25-cm container in mid-July, 2004. Plants were grown under natural season conditions. During the production of the plants, temperatures ranged from 10° to 32° C. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar     Delightful Yovictoria. -   Commercial classification: Decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the     Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yovictoria, disclosed in U.S.     Plant Pat. No. 13,799. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten to twelve days             at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form/growth habit.—Perennial herbaceous             decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum. Inverted triangle with             mounded crown. Stems initially upright, then somewhat             outwardly spreading; compact growth habit. Freely branching             with about seven primary branches with lateral branches             potentially forming at every node. Moderately vigorous.         -   Plant height.—About 22 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 33 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 19 mm. Diameter: About 9 cm.             Internode length: About 1.4 cm. Aspect: Upright and             outwardly spreading. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length:             About 3.75 cm. Width: About 3.2 cm. Apex: Cuspidate. Base:             Mostly truncate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses parallel             to convergent. Texture, upper surface: Slightly pubescent.             Texture, lower surface: Pubescent; veins prominent. Color:             Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: More             green than 147A. Developing and fully expanded foliage,             lower surface: More green than 147B. Venation, upper             surface: More green than 147A. Venation, lower surface:             Close to 147B. Petiole length: About 1.3 cm. Petiole             diameter: About 4 mm. Petiole color, upper and lower             surfaces: Close to 146C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on             terminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Ray             florets developing acropetally on a capitulum. About nine             inflorescences per lateral branch.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in mid to late September in the Northern Hemisphere.         -   Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About             4 mm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color (lower             surface of phyllaries): More green than 147A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.4 cm. Depth (height):             About 1.3 cm. Disc diameter: About 2 mm; inconspicuous.             Receptacle diameter: About 4.5 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong. Length: About 1.6 cm.             Width: About 6 mm. Corolla tube length: About 3 mm. Corolla             tube diameter: About 1 mm. Apex: Emarginate. Margin: Fused.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Surface: Mostly flat to             eventually convex. Orientation: Initially upright, then             perpendicular to the peduncle. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 105 in numerous whorls. Color: When             opening, upper surface: Between 6A and 9A faintly overlain             with close to 46A. When opening, lower surface: 6A to 6B             faintly underlain with close to 46A. Fully opened, upper             surface: Between 6A and 9A overlain with close to 46A. Fully             opened, lower surface: 6A to 6B underlain with close to 46A.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Length: About 3 mm.             Width, apex: About 1 mm. Width, base: About 1 mm. Number of             disc florets per inflorescence: About five. Color: Immature:             Close to 9A. Mature: Apex: Close to 9A. Mid-section and             base: Close to 155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 20. Length:             About 7.5 mm. Width: About 3 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent.             Color, upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface:             More green than 147A.         -   Peduncle.—Length: First peduncle: About 5.1 cm. Fourth             peduncle: About 7.3 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength:             Strong. Aspect: About 40° from vertical. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: Close to 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: Close to             12A. Amount of pollen: None observed. Gynoecium: Present on             both ray and disc florets. Style length: About 5 mm. Style             color: Close to 154A. Stigma color: Close to 9A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not     been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been     observed to be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from     0° to more than 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Delightful Yovictoria’, as illustrated and described. 